Chocolate Torte in Twenty (Flourless Chocolate Cake)

I know I’m a day late, but Merry Christmas nevertheless! I had planned to put up a Christmassy recipe, but after seeing the blogosphere jam packed with everything plum pudding-y and fruit cake-y and mince meat pie-y, I decided otherwise. I’m no expert in this area anyway, so why bother trying?! With my friend coming down to town, my mom’s birthday and finally Christmas - the past week had so many things happening all at once, that I’ve had an overdose of going out and partying (No, Seriously!).

All I wanted to do today was withdraw into my cocoon (curl up into a ball under my quilt) and read a book. A nice chocolate something for company, would be a bonus. I had two bars of glorious dark chocolate with cocoa nibs stashed away for just such an occasion. Of course slaving over the stove (or oven in this case) and curling up under the quilt seem like two diametrically opposite goals. But the Chocolate Torte is hardly a culinary taskmaster! So twenty minutes later, I’m curled up on the couch with a book in one hand, the fantastic torte in the other and my two cat babies (Muesli and Blanco) nestled against me. They look up sleepily and I hear a contended purr…oh wait, that was me!

Chicken Chops Masala - Like Mumma makes

My horoscope this weekend prophesized that I would take a long drive and even have a picnic. Boy was I skeptical! I hardly get my a** out of bed earlier than noon on a Sunday, so I was pitting my practiced laziness against the schemes of the universe. We went out for a party on Saturday night and like with all parties came home in a more than happy daze and flopped into bed. I challenged the universe to beat the combo of my hangover + laziness!

I got a call at 9:00 AM in the morning… groan. I rolled over and half blinking looked at the screen. It was my sister. I picked up the call, knowing that leaving it unanswered would just lead to a barrage of calls until I wished the phone would self destruct. Would I please drop her to her exam center? – she had to take an MBA admission test. Since I was the one who goaded her to apply, I had to give in. I didn’t even have time to get breakfast in. Drove like a maniac and picked her and my mom up. Then we started the long drive to Electronic city. Wait…Did I just say long drive? Aaargh… part one of horoscope rebelling – fail!

Reached the spot and quickly wished her luck, while she ran in to write her exam. Mom and I decided to wait for her to finish, so we were loitering around and checking out the campus. My stomach was literally grumbling now. Mom smiled and said she had a surprise for me. She had packed some lunch because she knew I wouldn’t have time to eat at home! She unpacked a basket to reveal my favorite Chicken Curry, steamed rice, fruit and a plate, forks and water! I literally had a picnic in the park. The universe had won!

P.S. This recipe below is mom’s brilliant Karnataka Style Chicken Chops Masala which is best eaten with Ragi Balls or Mudde. I however love it with my white rice or Ghee Rice!

Asian Grill Festival @ Shiro (UB City, Bangalore)

UB City has become one of my favorite places to hang out. The open air cafés and restaurants, the dancing fountain, the easy relaxed pace in the evening under the stars – I always feel like I’m out of Bangalore. Sunday brunches at Shiro – the pan Asian restaurant, is an indulgence that I often dip into. The Zen like ambience with the giant statues and the serene Buddha never fail to get me into a happy and peaceful mood. So when Shiro invited me to their Asian Grill Festival, I was more than happy to pay them a visit. Bangalore winters have started, so we chose a table inside right next to the Buddha. I was feeling good already!

Cannellini Bean Dip

Featured in Tastespotting.com on 5th Dec 2012

Featured in Foodgawker.com on 5th Dec 2012

If you ever get bored of eating hummus (highly unlikely) this dip will easily fill the void. And ‘easily’ is the key word here. It takes all of 5 mins to whip this up and you can flaunt it around in your guest’s faces as some exotic dish. Unless of course, the guest happens to be my Mom. In that case, the story will differ. She will just take a whiff of it and declare with uber confidence that – ‘it’s just a form of Rajma… white in this case’ – chapter closed. All tales of how you bought it from GNB and paid 150 rupees for a 400gm can will vanish from memory because you don’t want to be cut down to size! The next debate will clearly be on why I eat such ‘processed’ food when I can just head down to the market in the morning and pick up some fresh organic stuff. And the final closing argument will be – No wonder this generation lacks energy to do anything and will all die young due to some lifestyle disease. Poof! Ok, leaving all elderly ranting (she will kill me) aside, this dip is easy to make, tastes great and is perfect for some crisps, pita or even vegetable crudités. Case closed.